# KanjiBox — Smart Japanese drilling app

> Offline Japanese language learning app with drills, quizzes, and handwriting practice. (iPhone/iPad app by Unknown Genius Software.)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kanjibox/id322311303 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [Unknown Genius Software](https://appshunter.io/developer/322311306)
- Category: Education, Travel
- Price: $4.99 with in-app purchases
- Rating: 4.60/5 from 137 App Store ratings · 262 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 9+
- Requires: iOS 16.0 · 361 MB
- Languages: American English
- Released: 2009-07-14
- Data updated: 2026-09-07
- Monetization: free with in-app purchases
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kanjibox/id322311303/reviews.md

## What is KanjiBox?

KanjiBox is a focused Japanese kanji and vocabulary trainer for learners at every level, from first-time beginners to advanced JLPT N1 candidates.

• Simple yet effective algorithm
Spaced Repetition System and smart Multiple Choice algorithm, combined to optimize your learning and track your progress

• Multiple Modes to keep you motivated
From Flashcards, to Drill training, to Gamified Quiz

• No AI Slop
KanjiBox was first released 19 years ago, and has helped hundreds of thousands achieve written Japanese mastery ever since. It does not, and will never, rely on half-baked LLM-driven content

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KANJIBOX IS SMART
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KanjiBox adapts to your performance by prioritizing items you struggle with, and reducing repetition of material you already know. As you progress, it will introduce new kanji and vocabulary, but always while following your pace.

Spend more time on what needs work, and less time reviewing what you have already mastered.

— — — — — — — — — — — — —
KANJIBOX IS A MEAN TEACHER
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Behind the deceptively simple Multiple Choice Question format, is a well-oiled algorithm designed to trip you up: similar-looking kanji, subtle pronunciation differences, closely-related grammatical words…

Because the goal is to learn the language, not how to beat the test.

— — — — — — — — — — — — —
KANJIBOX IS ENGAGING
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Exhaustive stats across levels and categories show you what you have mastered, what needs more practice, and how your results improve over time. Quiz mode adds a fun competitive element to your studying.

Because serious should not mean tedious!

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FEATURES
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• Full JLPT N5–N1 kanji and vocabulary coverage
• Sensei mode with 6,355 kanji, ~40,000 vocab words
• Beginner mode with hiragana and katakana
• Works fully offline
• Custom Study Sets
• Sync all learning stats and progress across devices
• Add-ons to practice handwriting kana and kanji
• Add-ons to practice specific grammar points

Whether you are preparing for the JLPT, studying Japanese at school, or building your reading ability for everyday use, KanjiBox gives you a clear and practical way to improve.

始めましょう！Let's get started!

## Key features

- Offline Japanese study
- Drills, quizzes, and flashcards
- Handwriting practice modules
- Progress tracking and achievements
- JLPT and Kanji Kentei preparation
- Adaptive learning with SRS
- Customizable study sets

## Pricing and in-app purchases

Base price: $4.99.

**One-time purchases**

| Purchase | Price | Type |
| --- | --- | --- |
| KanjiDraw | $0.99 | one-time |
| KanaDraw | $0.99 | one-time |
| Grammar - Beginner I: Particles | $0.99 | one-time |
| Grammar - Intermediate I | $0.99 | one-time |
| Grammar - Beginner II: Where? When? | $0.99 | one-time |
| Grammar - Beginner III: 後, 前, 上, 下... | $0.99 | one-time |
| Advanced I: ところ＋に,で,へ,を... | $0.99 | one-time |
| Vocab N5 Nouns (pt. 1) | $0.99 | one-time |


## What do users think of KanjiBox?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 👍 Comprehensive kanji and vocabulary practice
- 🚀 Efficient spaced repetition learning
- 💡 Customizable study settings
- 🚀 Syncs progress across devices
- 👍 Integrates with dictionary app
- 👍 Gamified learning experience
- 👍 Affordable price point

**Cons**

- 🐛 Occasional crashes or bugs
- 👎 Limited grammar practice
- 👎 Sensitive kanji writing recognition
- 👎 Repetitive kanji/vocabulary selection

**Commonly reported bugs**

- App crashes when launching at higher JLPT levels
- Syncing issues between mobile and web versions
- Incorrect kanji/vocabulary definitions in some cases

**Most requested features**

- Add more grammar and sentence-level practice
- Improve kanji writing recognition accuracy
- Allow searching for specific kanji or vocabulary
- Provide more detailed review of missed questions

## Recent user reviews (10 of 262)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/kanjibox/id322311303/reviews.md

### 5/5 — The best Japanese learning app!

*2026-06-28*

I thought this app had long since been abandoned by the dev but I still found it useful and kept it on my phone since I was also afraid it might disappear someday. The go my surprise it suddenly got an update and got such better and every update now makes it run even better and get even more useful. Thanks dev for not giving up on this one!

### 4/5 — Can’t kanji draw my study sets anymore？

*2026-06-21*

I’ve been using this program for many many years. And after a while, I just figured it was abandoned, because it hadn’t been updated in years. But I still continue to use it, with my most favorite feature being able to create my own study sets, then use those study sets in Kanji Draw.  So I was excited to see this had been updated recently, and some of the new UI is nice, but it seems now that I no longer have the option to do Kanji draw with my study sets. Honestly, that was the main reason why I used this program. Being able to draw the kanji help me remember them.

I really do hope this feature comes back soon. Also, with the kanji draw the current line stroke when you draw is too thin and sometimes hard to see. I preferred it in the old version where the line strokes were thicker. Also, at least on the iPad, I dislike how the draw window slightly gets smaller once you draw your first stroke. I think it tries to fit in some new text once that first stroke is drawn, and it shifts the whole draw window slightly up and a bit smaller. It can be distracting.

I think if these issues can be resolved, then this will be a perfect program for studying and learning Japanese

### 5/5 — Actually really useful!

*2026-06-21*

Great value for money, responsive developer, funny asides, what’s not to like. Used it myself and now using it in a class to teach some Philippino guys. They love it too.

### 5/5 — Wonderful tool

*2026-06-20*

I've been using this app on and off for almost a full year now. I picked up the original site back on Facebook when I was I Japan. Amazing tool to practice reading with.

### 5/5 — Great App for Studying for the JLPT

*2026-06-20*

I try to do at least one kanji, vocab, and reading quiz per day, and it's motivating to see the progress bar for each advance.  The statistics in this app are really good for evaluating how well you know things. I prefer this to Anki for a number of reasons: you aren't punished for being unable to review every day, the multiple-choice format is more honest than self-grading yourself, and this app is really really good at making the multiple-choice answers really REALLY tricky, which makes it extra good practice for the JLPT.

The developer has made a lot of updates recently to better optimize the UI for phones. You can sync your progress so you can have multiple copies of the app on different devices. The developer is also really quick to respond if you find and report a bug.

### 5/5 — Great App for Studying for the JLPT

*2026-06-20*

The developer has made a lot of updates recently to better optimize the UI for phones.  You can sync your progress, so you can have multiple copies of the app on different devices.  The developer is also really quick to respond if you find and report a bug.  

I try to do at least one Kanji, Vocab, and Reading quiz per day, and it’s motivating to see the progress for each advance.  The statistics in this app are really good for evaluating how well you know things.  I prefer this to Anki for a number of reasons: you aren’t punished for being unable to review every day, the multiple choice format is more honest than self-grading yourself, and this app is really REALLY good at making the multiple choice answers very tricky (which makes it extra good practice for the JLPT).

### 5/5 — Fantastic

*2026-06-20, version 3.0.37*

I’m about to move to Japan and this, along with Duolingo, has been paramount in my progress!

### 3/5 — Liked the old version better

*2026-06-16*

My use case is specific, but not uncommon, and the old KanjiBox did it well. The old version allowed me to do kanji drawing drills based on reading+meaning hints and using my own study sets. I can now do none of this. On kanji draw I get only readings as a hint, which is a real challenge for kanji with overlapping readings (esp those with only one or two onyomi). And I am forced to use the N1-N5 system now. I cannot do kanji draw from custom study sets. A real bummer as this was my go-to app, but now I’ll have to look for a new one.

**Developer response:** The new version is a complete rewrite, and some of the old features will be progressively reimplemented in the upcoming versions…

### 5/5 — Challenging

*2026-06-02*

Great to use a tool to help study kanji

### 5/5 — Good

*2026-05-29*

I’ve preferred this app over other alternatives for years. I’m glad to see it being developed again.

## Frequently asked questions about KanjiBox

### What does KanjiBox do?

KanjiBox is an offline application designed for learning Japanese. It offers various practice methods including drills, quizzes, and flashcards to help users master kana, kanji, vocabulary, reading, and writing. The app also provides progress tracking and game-like achievements to make learning engaging.

### What are the key features of KanjiBox?

Key features include six training levels from JLPT N5 to N1, adaptive learning using spaced repetition, live statistics to monitor progress, online leaderboards, and game-like achievements. It also offers additional modules for handwriting practice of kana and kanji, and custom study sets for focused learning.

### How much does KanjiBox cost?

The base application is free to download and use. Additional modules, such as KanjiDraw and KanaDraw for handwriting practice, are available as in-app purchases. This allows users to customize their learning experience based on their needs and budget.

### Is KanjiBox suitable for test preparation?

Yes, KanjiBox is particularly well-suited for preparing for standardized Japanese language tests such as JLPT (Japanese Language Proficiency Test) and Kanji Kentei. It covers a wide range of kanji and vocabulary relevant to these exams, with specific levels designed for JLPT N5 through N1.

### What kind of content does KanjiBox offer?

KanjiBox offers a comprehensive range of Japanese learning content, including over 6,000 kanji, more than 34,000 vocabulary words, and practice for hiragana and katakana. It supports learning through drills, quizzes, and customizable flashcards, covering aspects like kanji recognition, vocabulary, and word reading.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 3.2.10 — 2026-08-08

Misc fixes and improvements.

### 3.2.0 — 2026-07-28

New:
- Streak rescue: break a long streak by a single missed day and you now get 36 hours to win it back by completing six study goals.
- Filter your flashcards by progress: choose which learning groups (new, learning, mastered...) appear in your study deck.
- A new "non-standard forms" setting lets handwriting practice accept alternative stroke forms.
- The Achievements tile badges unseen unlocks, and newly earned achievements glow until you view them.
- More streak milestones, so a long streak keeps changing as it grows.

Improved:
- Handwriting recognition is far more accurate and now accepts common alternative and rotated stroke forms.
- Kana handwriting accepts handakuten circles drawn in either direction, from any starting point.
- Breadcrumbs fill the available width on large screens instead of collapsing to "...".
- The study settings panel can be swiped away, with the grab handle now on the bottom edge.
- Kanji reading headings and the guided tour are fully translated in German, Spanish, and French.
- Grammar practice picks questions better matched to the vocabulary you know.

Fixed:
- Sharing an achievement could restart the app on devices low on memory.
- AirDrop sharing failed with "upload failed" while every other share target worked.
- Share images rendered at the wrong size and broke the certificate layout on iPhone.
- The kana completion certificate was labelled "KANJI".
- Mixed date formats could misorder synced study data and reset your streak.
- "First studied" dates that showed as 0000-00-00 are repaired.
- Opening a study set could crash the app.
- The Listening drill ignored the study set you had selected.
- Skipped quiz answers were recorded as wrong.
- Kana handwriting no longer asks for characters that cannot be told apart when drawn.
- The progress ring did not render on older iOS versions.
- The right-hand safe area was wrongly reserved in landscape.
- A claimed streak rescue was undone on the next app launch.
- Deleted study sets were not always removed until the next sync.
- Two open tabs could sync at the same time and conflict.
- Factory reset now clears saved quiz scores and every in-memory setting.

### 3.1.8 — 2026-06-29

Improved landscape mode layouts.
Miscellaneous improvements and bug fixes.

### 3.1.7 — 2026-06-25

- New achievements
- Listening drills
- Better tablet support
- Misc fixes and improvements

### 3.0.37 — 2026-06-11

Misc bug fixes and stability improvements.

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## More apps by Unknown Genius Software

- [livelier](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/livelier/id1102161264)

All apps by Unknown Genius Software: https://appshunter.io/developer/322311306

## Related topics

[kanjibox](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/kanjibox)

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-09-07.*
